house speaker john boehner. as they left they sounded like they were closing in on a compromise. >> think it was a very positive meeting. there was not a lot of hilarity in the meeting. everyone knows how important it is. >> we'll be working hard to try to see if we can get there in the next 24 hours, and so i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> the president said the american public is getting frustrated and losing patience with these last-minute negotiations. he says the least congress can do is protect most american tax pairs from rising tax rates due to take effect in the next couple of days. the least, it appears, rebecca, appears to be the most they can do. >> thank you. we'll check back later in the program. for more on how we got into this situation and what happens if nothing happens. michael santoly, it's great to have both of you with us. where does this stand right now? >> right now they're negotiating and things are being worked out behind closed doors by the top leaders in the house and senate and the whi